THIS DAY IN HISTORY: CHRISTMAS IN IRAQ, THE FREEBIRD-VON ERICH FEUD BEGINS, ANDRE & DUSTY VS. HANSEN & LADD AND MORE

1902 - Don McLeod defeats Tom Jenkins in Worcester, Massachusetts to
win the American Heavyweight Title for a second time. The match was actually
stopped and Jenkins forfeited the title to McLeod due to problems with his leg,
later diagnosed as blood poisoning.

1925 - Bronko Sandor Lupsity, better known as Canadian wrestler and
longtime World Class Championship Wrestling referee Bronko Lubich, is born in
Batonja, Hungary.

1965 - In Indianapolis, Indiana, Dick the Bruiser defeats Gene Kiniski
for the World Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title, beginning his third
reign. Also, Moose Cholak and Wilbur Snyder defeat The Assassins (Guy Mitchell
and Joe Tomasso) to win the WWA World Tag Team Title.

1967 - Art Nelson and Pat Patterson defeat Red Bastien and Mario Milano
for the International Wrestling Alliance (Australia) Tag Team Title in San
Francisco, California, ending Bastien and Milano's third reign.

1970 - Jose Lothario & Danny Miller defeat The Infernos to become
the new NWA Florida Tag Team Champions in Tampa, Florida. The previous
champions, Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch, had been stripped of the belts.

1982 - World Class Championship Wrestling holds the first
"Christmas Star Wars" event at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, drawing
a crowd of 18,000 fans (and a Texas record gate at the time) for a show that
featured one of the most famous heel turns of all time, a turn that sparked
arguably the greatest feud in Texas wrestling history, the Von Erichs vs. The
Fabulous Freebirds. Here are the results from the show:
- Brian Adias defeated Frank Dusek.
- Jose Lothario & Al Madril defeated Magic Dragon & Checkmate.
- Lone Eagle defeated Little Tokyo.
- World Class American Champion Kevin Von Erich defeated King Kong Bundy via DQ.
- World Class Texas Champion David Von Erich defeated Bill Irwin.
- Ken Mantel won a Battle Royal.
- Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & David Von Erich (subbing for Buddy Roberts)
defeated Tom Steele, Mike & Tommy Sharpe to become the first World Class
Six-Man Tag Team Champions. After the match, David gave his share of the title
to Roberts, since he was the third member of the Freebirds.
- NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Kerry Von Erich in a No
Disqualification Steel Cage match in which Michael Hayes was the referee.
Leading up to the match, World Class had run a storyline where, due to past
controversial decisions in Flair title matches, there was a dispute as to who
the referee would be. It was decided that Hayes, rather than usual officials
David Manning or Bronco Lubich, would be "tough but fair" and able to
keep control in the match. During the match, Von Erich and Flair got knocked
out, and Hayes dragged Kerry on top of Flair and counted to three. However, Von
Erich refused to accept the victory, and gave the match to Flair. Hayes screamed
at Von Erich, calling him an "idiot" and as Kerry exited the cage,
Terry Gordy slammed the door on Von Erich's head, sparking off the Freebird heel
turn and the beginning of the legendary feud with the Von Erichs.

1986 - The New Breed (Chris Champion and Sean Royal)
defeat Vic Steamboat and Kendall Windham in Tampa, Florida to win the vacant NWA
Florida Tag Team Title. The title had been inactive for five years prior.

1986 - The Nightmares (Danny Davis and Ken Wayne) defeat Tony Anthony and
Jerry Stubbs for the Continental Wrestling Federation Tag Team Title in
Birmingham, Alabama.

1987 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their
"Christmas Star Wars" event at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, drawing
over 4,000 fans. The show was headlined by three steel cage matches, and one of
the more distasteful angles in wrestling history. Here are the results:
- The Missing Link defeated Vince Apollo.
- The Real Thing (Rip Morgan) defeated Jason Sterling.
- Brian Adias vs. Bill Irwin ended in a double countout.
- The Fantastics defeated Jack Victory & John Tatum.
- Kerry Von Erich won a Pole Battle Royal, climbing a pole to grab the $10,000
prize.
- World Class Texas Champion Matt Borne defeated The Iron Sheik.
- Jeff Raitz defeated Tony Falk.
- Eric Embry defeated Shaun Simpson in a Steel Cage match to win the World Class
Light Heavyweight Title.
- Kevin Von Erich, Chris Adams & Steve Simpson defeated Terry Gordy, Buddy
Roberts & Iceman Parsons in a Steel Cage match to win the vacant World Class
Six Man Tag Team Title.
- World Class Champion Al Perez defeated Kerry Von Erich in a steel cage match.
Prior to the match, Fritz Von Erich was attacked by a group of heels and faked a
heart attack in the ring. Legitimate news media fell for the act, and reported
on his "heart attack" as being real. For the next several weeks,
Fritz' "condition" would get better or worse depending on how well the
shows were drawing, as his sons promised to get revenge for what had happened to
their father.

1987 - Dave Peterson ends the 18th NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
reign of Bob Brown in St. Joseph, Missouri.

1988 - Mike Graham defeats The Terminator to win the
vacant NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida. The title had been
vacated when champion Mike Rotunda gave the belt to Rick Steiner. This began
Graham's second reign.

1988 - Top Gun wins his second NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title,
ending the fourth reign of The Grappler in Portland, Oregon.

1992 - Mohammad Hussein (Lou Fabbiano) and El Vigilante
defeat Ray Gonzalez and Rex King to win the WWC World Tag Team Title in
Carolina, Puerto Rico.

1993 - Black Bart and John Hawk (JBL) defeat Steven Dane and Chaz Taylor
for the Global Wrestling Federation Tag Team Title in Dallas, Texas. At the same
event, Chris Adams wins the GWF North American Heavyweight Title from Iceman
King Parsons.

1993 - Chris Adams defeats Iceman King Parsons in Dallas,
Texas to win the Global Wrestling Federation North American Heavyweight Title.
On the same card, Black Bart & John Hawk (JBL) defeat Steven Dane & Chaz
Taylor for the GWF World Tag Team Title.

1999 - Mike Rapada wins the NWA North American
Heavyweight Title for the fourth time, defeating Terry Taylor in Nashville,
Tennessee. This was also recognized by Music City Wrestling, where the match
took place, as they had a recognized North American Heavyweight Title as well,
this began Rapada's eighth MCW reign.

2003 - Mr. Gannosuke and Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeat Jun Kasai and
Tengukeiser for the vacant AJPW All Asia Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.

2003 - Dan Morrow and Bryan Turner defeat The Devil's Deciples (Damien
and Dante) for the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title in Columbia, Tennessee. This
began and ended each teams' second reign.

2003 - UPN airs the first ever WWE Smackdown
"Christmas In Iraq/Tribute To The Troops", which was taped at Camp
Victory in Baghdad, Iraq on December 20th for an audience of soldiers overseas.
The show included Vince McMahon knocking down Santa Claus for not bringing him a
gift, only for "Santa" to reveal himself as Steve Austin. Austin
then gave McMahon a stunner. Here are the matches from the show:
- The APA defeated Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin.
- Rikishi defeated Rhyno.
- Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Benoit.
- Torrie Wilson defeated Dawn Marie and Sable in a "Santa's Little
Helper" contest.
- John Cena defeated The Big Show with an FU. After the match, Steven
Austin came out and gave stunners to both men.

2004 - John Bogie and Elix Skipper defeat A.J. and Damien
Steele to win the Georgia Championship Wrestling Tag Team Title in Columbus,
Georgia.

2006 - Lady Apache defeats Hiroka for the CMLL World Women's Title in
Mexico City, Mexico, beginning her third reign.

2006 - Fantasma de la Opera, El Hijo del Diablo and El Veneno defeat Dr.
Cerebro, Cerebro Negro and Suicida to win the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Trios
Title in Naucalpan, Mexico. The title was vacated earlier in the year when
Scorpio, Jr., who held the title with El Veneno and Cerebro Negro, jumped to
AAA.

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